Fort Calhoun Elementary School held a fire safety awareness day on October 24th. Fire is the second major cause of accidental death and injury to children, with the vast majority of these injuries and fatalities occurring in the home. This program provided students with fire safety information and skills, while also allowed students a chance to practice those skills in a realistic, controlled environment under the guidance of the Fort Calhoun fire department and the Nebraska State Fire Marshal. The fire safety trailer is a mobile travel trailer in which students were able to: walk through a kitchen, living room, and bedroom and spot fire hazards, practice simple methods of eliminating potentially dangerous situations, feel a “hot door” and locate an emergency escape route, recognize a smoke alarm and exit using a ladder as the fire safety house fills with a non-toxic smoke. The goal of the program is to demonstrate what to do in the event of a fire within the home. The fire safety trailer gives us the best opportunity to simulate a residential fire and to have the students practice how to exit safely.
Students in Mrs. Clausen’s 1st grade class enjoyed the program very much. We heard students say “I want to do it again!” several times upon exiting the van. “One student said it was a little scary but still fun.” and many students said it was “cool.” Thank you to Fort Calhoun Volunteer Fireman, the Fire Marshal and Cadets Caleb Grosse-Rhode and Colton Mallory.
